Sweet Voice
by Tikal Tyrant
Summary: Kenny is sick of the other boys teasing him about his voice. Butters tries to make him feel better, but it's not working. Fluffy Bunny one-shot!


A/N: I wrote this for two reasons. One, it's my birthday! And I still love my South Park boys, especially Kenny. Me and Kenny are like the same person. Two, I have experienced what Kenny goes through in this story so many times. Anyhow, enjoy this one-shot of my totally awesome OTP. Now to post this thing so I can go party!

**Sweet Voice**

It all started when the class had a substitute teacher who was accustomed to different rules and regulations than those enforced at South Park Elementary. This included the dress-code.

"But we never have to take off our hats," Kyle countered. Out of everyone, he hated removing his hat the most. "Mr. Garrison never makes us take them off."

"Well according to your school district dress-code," the old, thin woman explained, her hand trembling as she rose it, "hats and hoods are only permissible outdoors because of the distraction they can become. If Mr. Garrison doesn't want to follow regulation, he can risk the consequences. But I'm not Mr. Garrison, so hats and hoods off."

The children groaned and grumbled, but seeing as how it was just one day to endure, they complied. Many spent more time trying to fix hat hair than they did focusing on the assignment. Stan was one of the few that had little interest in fixing his hair, leaving it strewn about his head. Kyle, on the other hand, was continuously shooting his hands up to try to compress and smooth down his thick curls. Kenny was not too happy having to remove his hood either. He had no problem with his hair (though it could get messy and oily quite easily). He simply preferred the feel and look of having his hood up. It had become a signature of his after all. At least, he could not remember any other reason to prefer having his hood up. Until he spoke, that is.

Stan had started it off, turning to the others and saying, "This is why I hate word problems. It says, 'Sally wants you to determine.' If I said I wanted someone else to do my work for me, I'd get in trouble. Why does Sally get to?"

Kenny laughed from his seat behind the other three and said, "Maybe Sally'll do you a special favor if you do her work for her." There was no chuckle or response at all to Kenny's crude humor, as there would usually be. Instead, the others whipped their heads around to look at him, and Kenny stiffened under the gaze of his many classmates. "What?" he asked.

"I thought that was a girl," Craig said, his nasal voice containing a hint of humor.

More confused, and because nobody else spoke, Kenny said, "Who? Sally?"

"No, you," Craig replied.

Clyde turned his body around in his chair for a better angle and said, "Yeah, I never noticed it before, but he's right. You've got a really high voice."

"What?" Kenny sputtered. "It's not that high. You're just not used to it."

Cartman copied the sentence in a high pitched murmur before laughing loudly. "You sound like a pussy, dude!"

Kenny hit the top of his desk and snapped, "Shut up, you fat bitch!" Instead of silencing the other boys, they erupted in laughter. Kenny slumped at his desk, clutching his hood and wanting to throw it over his head and tighten it as tight as it could go.

"It's like hearing my little sister curse," Craig noted.

Clyde waved his hand over Kenny's desk. "Come on. Say another bad word."

"Hell no," Kenny said, leading to another round of laughter from his classmates.

The substitute looked up at this and called out, "Quiet down. Back to work." She snapped her fingers. "No hoods."

Kenny yanked his hood off again and crossed his arms, pouting at his desk. He refused to talk for the remainder of the school day. Even at lunch or during recess, when he could muffle his light voice through his hood, he kept quiet. Even when Cartman would not let up on his ridicule, continuously mocking him and egging him on to talk, Kenny merely glared in silence. Finally, the school day ended and Kenny tightened his hood as he shoved open the school doors. He was ready to hurry home and forget about the embarrassment that his stupid voice put him through.

"Hey Kenny," Butters said, happily jogging up beside him. "Ya headin' home?"

Deciding that Butters would not be the type to bring up his voice, Kenny replied, "(Yeah. I'm gonna watch TV and try to finish what I didn't get done in class.)"

"That sounds good," Butters said. Then, proving Kenny wrong he added, "You shouldn't let what the others say get to you."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "(Look, I'm just not gonna think about it anyhow.)"

"Oh. Good." Kenny would have been happy leaving the conversation at that, but Butters went on. "Cause, y'know, I really like your voice. I think it's cute."

Kenny stopped walking and smacked his hand to his forehead. "(Yeah. I know. That's the problem.)"

"Why is that a problem?"

"(Because! I'm a guy. I don't wanna be cute. I'm not the type of person who's supposed to be cute. Being cute is more for people like... Like you.)"

Butters frowned. "Well gee. I'm a guy too, y'know. What's so bad about bein' like me?"

Kenny put his hands on his hips, turning away and rocking awkwardly on his feet. "(That's not what I meant. I meant, being cute is for people who're, like, innocent or something.)"

Still not convinced, Butters replied, "What's wrong with bein' innocent? I don't think you're corrupted or nothin'."

"(Come on, Butters. You heard them. I couldn't even say bitch with my voice without them freakin' out. Let alone fuck or shit or bloody cunt blisters. But who was the one who taught them what a dildo is? Me. Who told them what fingerbang actually meant? Me!)" He thought about adding that he had died from syphilis and auto-erotic asphyxiation, but left them out for a few reasons.

"But you're a good person, Kenny," Butters said. "That's all that matters. Who cares if people think you're innocent? The way you're talkin', it sounds like you'd rather them think you're a... a pervert or something."

Kenny sighed, and the two continued forward. He put his hands in his pockets, facing the ground as he said, "(Naw, I don't want people to think I'm corrupted or perverted all the time. It's just, it's like there's no middle ground.)"

"Whadya mean?"

"(It's not important. We've been talking about this too long. Forget it.)"

Butters crossed his arms and looked at Kenny as sternly as he could. "Hey now. If it's something that's bothering you, we should talk about it or else you'll never feel better. Just tell your little buddy all about it. I don't mind."

Kenny could not help but think that Butters really was the cute one out of the boys. "(It's hard to explain. Well. If you're up for it, I could show you, I guess.)"

Butters smiled. "Sure!"

They made their way to a gas station on the edge of town. Kenny sent Butters in first, saying not to come out until he got him the second time that he entered. Unsure of Kenny's plans, Butters went inside, greeted by the middle-aged woman behind the counter with a warm smile. Butters stood by the drink dispensers until Kenny entered. He still had his hood up, and he walked into a middle aisle filled with chips and candy and the like. After a moment of fake browsing, the woman said with all the warmth of earlier drained from her voice, "Are you looking for something?"

"(Just looking, thanks,)" Kenny said.

The woman's brow furrowed as she watched him closely. When Kenny moved toward the back of the store, she reached for something behind the counter. Butters was confused, especially when a policeman entered the store. The woman nodded to the back, and the cop walked that way. When Kenny walked up an aisle, the cop walked slowly a few feet behind. When Kenny walked down the next, the cop slowly rounded it to watch from the other side. Finally, Kenny left the store. The cop smiled at the woman and left. Butters had his brow furrowed now. Kenny had done absolutely nothing for the old woman to call a cop in for. It seemed so unreasonable to him.

A moment later, Kenny re-entered. This time, his hood was down. He turned to the woman and said, "Where is your bathroom?"

Despite wearing the same clothes, the woman seemed completely unaware that this was the same little boy. She smiled warmly at his sweet, light voice and replied, "Oh it's in the back. Just go past the cola."

"Thank you," he said, walking to the back of the store and out of sight. He remained there for about two minutes before coming up to Butters. "Ready to go?" he asked. Butters nodded sadly, which was a bit surprising to Kenny.

"You boys be safe now. Do come back," the woman said as they exited the gas station.

"That was really unfair," Butters said.

"Yeah," Kenny replied. "It happens a lot. I'm apparently either a thug or I'm super innocent. I don't know which is more annoying. Hey, what's wrong?"

Butters looked at Kenny with hurt on his face. "That woman is a jerk."

"What?" Kenny laughed. It was weird to hear Butters talk about somebody in such a way.

"How can anyone judge somebody else just because they dress a certain way or look a certain way? It's wrong. Why, I know you. You'd never steal from somebody else."

"Look Butters, it's not that big of a deal. I'm not even upset anymore, see." Kenny put on a proud smile to prove his point, but Butters only stared blankly back.

"Well I am. I'm not as innocent as I appear either, you know."

"What do you mean?"

Butters put his hand in his jacket pocket. "I shoplifted."

"You what?!"

"Yup. I took something from inside because that... fat skank pissed me off."

"Butters, you can't go around shoplifting. Whatever you took, we have to take back. We'll say it was an accident. Geez Butters, what were you thinking?" Kenny pulled Butters' hand from his pocket, and seeing that it was empty, reached into his pocket himself. There was nothing. "Where is it?"

Butters turned away guiltily. "I lied," he said. "I didn't shoplift. But I could have! She doesn't know! And she shouldn't assume that you would if she's not gonna think I would."

Kenny smiled. It was unintentional, but Butters' words hit him. "Butters, you idiot. You're too nice for your own good."

"But you're the good one," Butters said, clenching his fists to his chest. "Look how serious you got when you thought I had shoplifted. Even if you don't wanna be cute, you're still a great guy. I think that's really great, Kenny. You're the nicest kid in school."

Kenny had no idea how to respond to that. It definitely made him happy, but he was unsure of what expression to make. He remembered another reason why he liked his hood. He threw it up and tightened it snug around his face. "(Thanks,)" he said, and even though he did not know why, he could feel his face heat up with a blush. "(But I think you're the one who's nice.)"

"That's not a bad thing, is it?"

Kenny laughed. "No Butters. It's not a bad thing at all."

Butters smiled brightly. "Thanks!"

With that, the two continued back into town, walking side by side in the cold November air.


End file.
